There is a god in the sky

Chapter 161 Jifeng Study 4

In Shen Lan's opinion, this picture book could be drawn even better; if each page were accompanied by a short scene, it would have a more impactful feel.

"This is the only copy of this picture book in our shop. If you like it, sir, we will never sell the same copy again."

"You're a smart girl, there's a reward for you!"

Shen Lan easily received a reward of one or two taels of silver.

The picture book had no price, but she quoted fifty taels, and the other party bought it without even blinking.

"If you like it, our shop can customize a catalog for you next time. You can send someone to pick it up on the 15th of each month."

Lu Changzhi clapped his hands with his folding fan, "Good, this is a good idea. Jifeng Study has finally learned to be flexible. Let Xiao Ji get better soon. I'll be waiting to invite him for a drink."

Shen Lan nodded, "I will definitely convey your message."

After he left, Young Master Liu had his attendant bring ten storybooks to settle the bill.

Shen Lan deliberately asked in her hometown dialect, "Do we need to order the second volume?"

The man in front of her looked up in astonishment, his eyes filled with fear and confusion.

Shen Lan finally saw his face clearly.

She might not recognize her other friends, but how could she not recognize her own cousin?

He looks so much like my aunt.

"What did you say? I don't understand." Shen Qing quickly changed her expression and asked with a blank look.

"Oh, I meant, would Young Master Liu like to pre-order the second volume? It will be available in ten days."

Liu Xianyang was flipping through the first volume when he casually replied, "Sure, save me ten copies."

Shen Lan pushed the brush and paper in front of Shen Qing and said with a smile, "Young master, you can leave your residence address, and our shop will arrange for someone to deliver it to your door."

Shen Qing picked up a pen, wrote a line of words in a crooked manner, then folded the paper and stuffed it into Shen Lan's hand.

"Take care, guests." Shen Lan personally saw them out.

She clutched the note in her sleeve, her eyes gradually welling up with tears.

Heaven has truly been kind to her; how could she be so lucky to meet the person she had been longing for as soon as she arrived in Bianjing!

That day, she closed the bookstore early.

Xiao Ding took the drawings Shen Lan had made and went to find a carpenter to make a ladder.

She almost fell off the ladder today. It's one thing for her, but for an ordinary person without any skills, such a fall would have been disastrous.

So she plans to build a spiral staircase, the kind that can be moved, which is safer than climbing a ladder.

Shen Lan returned to the backyard, washed her hands, and ate her meal, just like usual.

Once back in her room, she took out the note, opened it, and read it carefully.

My cousin's handwriting seems to have remained at a child's level; it's not much better than hers.

He was once a scholar too; in the town's school, his grades were only slightly worse than Jiang Ligo's.

Recalling his hunched figure, Shen Lan paced back and forth in the room in agitation.

What was he planning to do by infiltrating the Liu family?

Why was he following Liu Engui's son?

How did he sneak in?

We need to get him out.

Shen Lan waited until midnight before arriving at the entrance of the study.

Time passed second by second, and the wind grew colder with each passing gust.

Shen Qing did not come.

She followed the path she had explored that night and entered the Liu residence, finding Shen Qing's room with familiarity.

The surroundings were quiet, as if nothing had happened.

She jumped onto the roof, lifted a tile, and heard only a steady breathing sound.

Shen Qing was not in the house.

She sat on the roof for a while, and when no one came, she went to explore the inner courtyard of the Liu residence.

Everyone was asleep at this hour; even the servants on night watch hid inside the house by the fire, only coming out for a walk once in a while.

Shen Lan visually located the study and landed gently.

Unfortunately, the study was locked, and if she broke the lock, she would definitely leave a mark, so she had no choice but to return.

Starting the next day, Shen Lan bought several different types of locks and practiced picking them in the house.

With a slender silver hairpin, as long as you find the right angle and position, it's very easy to open this ancient lock.

She learned it after practicing for two nights.

On the fourth night, just as she was about to leave, there was a knock on the door.

"Who?"

"it's me."

A desolate voice.

Shen Lan opened the door with a puzzled look and saw Xiao Ji standing at the door with the same puzzled expression.

That's true; most people should be sleeping at this time.

Shen Lan not only wasn't asleep, but she was also dressed in night clothes.

"Which mansion is Manager Shen planning to sneak into tonight?" Xiao Ji asked, squinting his eyes.

Instead of answering, Shen Lan asked, "Lord Xiao, aren't you afraid of being seen knocking on a woman's door in the middle of the night?"

This is Bianjing, unlike other places.

"If there is nothing urgent, Coroner Shen, please bring your tools and come with me."

"A case?" Shen Lan asked in surprise, "Has the master's injury healed?"

The wound was very deep, and in just a few days, even the most miraculous medicine could not have healed him.

"Fortunately, it doesn't affect the operation."

Shen Lan turned and went back into the house, took off her black clothes, picked up her toolbox and came out, "Let's go."

She didn't ask what the case was, nor why he started working early; as a coroner, she didn't need to know too much.

A horse-drawn carriage was parked outside the courtyard, and Sui Feng was in charge of driving it.

After swaying and rocking for about half an hour, the carriage came to a stop.

Xiao Ji took out a cloak and gave it to Shen Lan. "Put this on. When you see people, don't pay them any attention. Just focus on examining the corpses."

Shen Lan saw that the cloak was black and the large hood was on, so that even from three meters away, it was probably impossible to tell whether she was a man or a woman.

"I should have worn my night clothes."

Xiao Ji joked, "Are you so afraid that people won't know you're a thief at night?"

Shen Lan helped him out of the car and looked up at the building in front of him.

It's the back gate of a mansion; judging by the height of the wall, it must belong to a wealthy family.

Sui Feng knocked on the door, identified himself, and the doorman let them in.

"This is the Lai residence. Lai Bin, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, is dead. Originally, this case should have been handled by the Ministry of Justice, but the Minister of Justice ordered the Provincial Judicial Commissioner to investigate it first."

"So the adults were forced to work before they even finished their sick leave?"

"Yes, Minister Zhao probably wants to see my ability to investigate cases."

"Minister Zhao?" What a coincidence, Xiao Ji's fiancée also has the surname Zhao, right?

Sui Feng turned around and said, "Miss Shen, don't you know? Miss Zhao's father is the Minister of Justice."

It turned out to be the case.

The further they went in, the more people they saw, including servants from the Lai family and government soldiers.

"By the way, have Officer Chen and the others gone back?"

“The Lunar New Year is coming soon, so I told them to have their New Year’s Eve dinner before they left.”

Setting off now would mean spending New Year's Eve on the road, so it would be better to enjoy a good meal of wine and food in Bianjing before continuing the journey.

Xiao Ji said, "Captain Chen said he wanted to thank you properly before he left."

"Why thank me? We've been traveling together for so long, and I want to say goodbye properly."

Life is unpredictable, and she probably won't see them again in the future, so it's time to say a proper goodbye.

"Would you be willing to come to my residence for a simple meal on New Year's Eve?" Xiao Ji stopped and asked.

The night was too dark and the lights were dim, so Shen Lan couldn't see the emotions in his eyes.

"This is inconvenient, isn't it?" Shen Lan had never thought of going to the Xiao residence.

"Don't misunderstand. Every year on New Year's Eve, my family hosts a banquet to entertain our family officials. You are the coroner I hired and the manager of the bookstore, so you should have a seat."

"Wouldn't it be strange for a woman like me to attend a banquet alone?"

"As long as you don't find it strange."

Shen Lan understood that if she went to the Xiao family, her identity would be officially recognized, and it would be more legitimate for her to work for Xiao Ji in the future.

"Okay, I'll go."